After 50 years of reform and development, especially 20 years of reform and opening-up, the education in New China has trained a large number of skilled workers and various professionals for socialist construction, and accumulated rich educational experience. Generations of educators have made great efforts and historic contributions to the prosperity and national rejuvenation of the motherland through hard exploration and selfless dedication. On behalf of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and greetings to the educators all over the country, to all cadres and people from all walks of life who enthusiastically support the education cause!
In today's world, the competition of comprehensive national strength is increasingly manifested in the competition of economic strength, national defense strength and national cohesion. No matter what kind of strength is enhanced, education has a basic position. In the past 20 years of reform and opening up, China's economic construction and scientific and technological progress have made great achievements. However, we should also be soberly aware that the mode of economic growth in China has not fundamentally changed, and the heavy population burden has not yet been transformed into an advantage in human resources. The low quality of China's labor force and the ability of scientific and technological innovation have become the main factors restricting China's economic development and international competitiveness. The Central Committee comprehensively analyzes the general trend of international and domestic development, and holds that we must unswervingly implement the strategy of rejuvenating the country through science and education, vigorously improve the ideological and moral, scientific and cultural quality of the whole nation, improve the ability of knowledge innovation and technological innovation, closely integrate education with economy and science and technology, and accelerate the fundamental transformation of economic growth mode and economic system. This is the inevitable choice to promote China's modernization in an all-round way, and it is also the fundamental guarantee for the Chinese nation to stand on its own feet among the nations of the world.
Education is the main base for knowledge innovation, dissemination and application, and also the cradle for cultivating innovative spirit and innovative talents. Education is of unique significance in cultivating high-quality workers and professionals, improving innovation ability, providing knowledge and technological innovation achievements, and enhancing national cohesion. Our educational institutions at all levels and all educators shoulder the solemn responsibility of enhancing comprehensive national strength, including national cohesion.
Facing the new international and domestic situation, the contradiction between our educational thought, educational system and structure, educational content and methods and the needs of socialist modernization has been and is increasingly exposed. Party committees, governments at all levels and comrades in the entire education front should have a clear understanding of the problems and deficiencies in education. All kinds of schools at all levels should put ideological and political education in an important position, and at no time can it be relaxed or weakened. Ideological and political quality is the most important quality. Constantly enhancing the patriotism, collectivism and socialist spirit of students and the masses is the soul of quality education.
Popularizing nine-year compulsory education, meeting basic learning needs and improving the overall quality of workers should become the primary goal of education, and strive to improve the education level of the vast majority of people. For urban and rural students and other people who can't enter the ranks of higher education, they should learn and master one or more skills in production technology, management and service through running vocational and technical schools at all levels. According to the needs and possibilities, actively develop higher education, especially community-based higher vocational education, expand the enrollment scale of existing ordinary colleges and adult colleges, and try our best to meet the people's requirements for higher education. We can also mobilize social forces to run some private colleges and universities as a supplement to existing colleges and universities. Governments at all levels should provide the educated with as fair educational opportunities as possible, pay special attention to solving the educational problems of underdeveloped areas and people, and increase investment in education funds for poor areas and poor families. In particular, we should attach great importance to the development of rural education, ensure the investment in rural education, and constantly increase investment.
Facing the challenge of the rapid development of science and technology in the world, we must raise the national innovation ability to a height related to the rise and fall of the Chinese nation. Education shoulders a special mission in cultivating national innovative spirit and innovative talents. It is necessary to change the educational concepts and models that hinder the development of students' innovative spirit and ability, especially the rigid education and teaching system in which teachers instill knowledge in one direction and take examination results as the only criterion to measure educational achievements. Efforts should be made to train a group of academic leaders and top-notch talents who can truly stand at the forefront of world science and technology, so as to promote and promote the improvement of national science and technology level and innovation ability. This is not only the responsibility of the education department, but also the strategic task of the whole party and society. On the issue of training talents, we should encourage and support pioneers, be leaders and play a leading role. This is not advocating individual prominence and individual heroism, but an inevitable requirement in line with the law of talent growth.
Facts have fully proved that "ivory tower" education can no longer meet the needs of today's times. The combination of education with economy, science and technology and social practice is getting closer and closer, and it is becoming an important force to promote scientific and technological progress and economic and social development. In the primary stage of socialism in China, education, as the basic project of economic, political and cultural construction, should not only provide talents and intellectual reserves for modernization, but also directly participate in all aspects of construction and make contributions to promoting various construction undertakings.
Lifelong learning is the inevitable trend of social development today. We should gradually establish and improve an education system conducive to lifelong learning. Schools should be further open to the society, and play a variety of functions such as academic education, non-academic education, continuing education, vocational and technical training and education. Basic education, vocational education, adult education and higher education should strengthen the contact and communication between them, and provide learners with various educational opportunities. Based on the distance education network, an open education system covering urban and rural areas throughout the country will be formed to provide multi-level and diversified education services for members of the whole society.
Comrades of the whole party and people of all ethnic groups in China should continue to care for and support the development of China's education from the height of realizing the prosperity of the motherland and national rejuvenation. He said: Party committees and governments at all levels should incorporate education into the strategic development focus and the overall layout of modernization, and earnestly regard education as a leading, overall and basic work and put it in a strategic key position of giving priority to development. Party and government leading cadres at all levels should do a good job in education, insist on ensuring that education gives priority to moderate and advanced development when formulating economic and social development plans, insist on realizing three growth of education funds when arranging financial budgets at all levels, increase the proportion of education expenditure in financial expenditure, and provide material guarantee for the priority development of education. We should always care about and help solve the difficult problems encountered in education, establish and improve the target management responsibility system, and clarify the goals and responsibilities at all levels. It is necessary to establish a system of leading cadres contacting schools and a system of inspection, reward and punishment. We should inherit the fine tradition of the Chinese nation and vigorously carry forward the good fashion of respecting teachers and valuing education in the whole society. We should do more practical things for teachers, effectively protect their legitimate rights and interests, and strive to improve their treatment. We should vigorously strengthen the construction of teaching staff, constantly optimize the team structure and improve the quality of the team.